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Synopsis

A Special NIA Court in Mumbai stayed the bailable warrant issued against BJP MP Pragya Thakur after

the court was informed that she was admitted to a hospital for her treatment.

Special NIA Judge AK Lahoti directed the BJP MP to appear before the court to record her statement on March 27, 2024.

The court had earlier issued a bailable warrant against Thakur as she had failed to appear before the court.

On Wednesday, Thakur’s advocate informed the court that she had arrived in Mumbai but due to her ill health, she was admitted to the hospital for treatment.

Accordingly, the judge allowed the application and asked her to appear before the court on March 27 to record her statement under Section 313 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

“Considering the reasons put forth in the application, the execution of the bailable warrant is hereby stayed till accused gets discharged from the hospital,"  the order states.

The court in its order also recorded that the NIA had not served the bailable warrant issued by the court against Thakur.

In the 2008 Malegaon Blast case, six individuals lost their lives, and approximately 100 others sustained injuries.

The case was initially investigated by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad and later transferred to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

The NIA presented 323 witnesses during the trial, but 34 of them turned hostile. Following the recording of the victims' testimonies, the court summoned Pragya Thakur and six other accused individuals to record their statements under Section 313 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).

During one of the earlier hearings, the BJP MP became emotional while recording her statement before the court.

The BJP MP had also sought an exemption earlier on medical grounds on February 25, which was allowed by the court.

The special judge, in its earlier order, had recorded that the court had accommodated the BJP MP and other accused in the case, granting exemptions due to ill health.

The court had said that from February 27 onwards, all the accused would be required to appear in court to record their statements in the case, and in case of ill health, they could get medication in Mumbai itself.